California or Colorado for flight training?

WBBulldogs

New Member
So I have a decision to ponder and make within the next couple months. I am moving back to the US (I've been deployed for the last two years) and I am wanting to finally start learning to fly. I have two places I can move to finish my degree and attend flight school. One place is San Diego. I have a bunch of friends there and the other is back where some of my family live in Colorado Springs, CO.

My question: Is one better than the other to learn to fly? I know high elevation airports pose certain challenges and I've heard that Colorado has a lot of GA fatalities in the Rockies. Can you guys give me any pros and cons to either place? Thanks!
 
If you want to dodge airplanes when you're training, move to San Diego. If you want to do dodge mountains while you're training, move to Colorado.

Southern California is INCREDIBLY crowded airspace, but the weather will be more conducive to flying more often. Colorado has MORE mountains (but don't be mistaken, the "smaller" mountains in California will kill you just as quickly), but likely less traffic and you also have to deal with winter, which will cut down the amount that you fly.
 
I'd say go to California. You have a better chance of actually flying in some weather, vs. CO. We get "gentlemans" IFR out here due to the marine Layer, so you'll get to see a few appraoches close to minimums, but you won't have to deal with the ice as much (as in canceled flights). Your cost of living out here will be higher though.
 
It's actually quite often misunderstood that flight training in Denver/Colorado Springs involves a lot of mountain flying. It does not. Denver and COS are in the plains, with the mountains directly to the west. Most schools (all of them most likely) will not let you fly west of the foothills unless you have a certain amount of experience, as well as receive a specific mountain flying checkout. Even then, the conditions have to be just right for you to even think about operating a SE airplane in the mountains.

All of your flight training will be spent flying between airports like COS, PUB, APA, BJC, FTG, FNL, and GXY. These are all flat land airports. Also, a lot of the airspace for GA traffic in Denver is very tight and crowded. I did my flight training in Denver, Southern California, and South FL. I was more nervous about mid-airs in Denver (flying out of BJC) than anywhere. The fact that there have been at least three fatal mid airs between Denver and Boulder in the past 10 years proves this.

The high density altitude in Denver/COS has some definite value in flight training, but keep in mind you will hardly ever get to operate in IMC here. When ceilings are low, it almost always comes with known icing or convective activity.

In Southern CA, you will get a lot of good IMC days that are perfect for the later stages of your flight training. You will actually be exposed to more mountain flying in SoCal, and the weather is overall more conducive to year round flying. When you become a CFI, you will also have access to a lot more students than you would in Denver (a terrible place for trying to find students). The only disadvantage is that SoCal is very expensive.

I'm based in COS, so if you do make it here send me a message and we can meet up. Good luck with your decision!
 
WBBulldogs:

First and foremost: Thank you for serving. What branch of the service are you in?

I have received all of my training in SoCal, and I am now a CFI here, so I am a little biased. There are fewer weather issues here and as noted above "IMC days that are perfect for the later stages of your flight training"
I suggest that wherever you end up, interview several different CFIs. Find one you click with.

Good luck.
 
The big secret about Colorado is that the weather is generally beautiful. You will, though, probably have more cancellations here than you would in perfect-weather CA. And as mshunter stated, the "gentleman's IFR" is nice to get. We only get about 4 or 5 days of that a year in Colorado.

Wind would be the other thing to contend with in CO, though I don't remember canceling too many flights for wind.

And having done flight training in both places, CO wins hands down. If nothing else for the scenery.
 
Colorado FTW

I did everything out of GXY (Northern CO) and loved it. Plenty of bigger airports along the front range as well as the small ones further east to explore.

Wind would be the other thing to contend with in CO, though I don't remember canceling too many flights for wind.

This was one thing I didn't like. Some cross countries were kind of hard to get done due to the winds on the plains but 90% of the time the local weather was gorgeous. Also, as mentioned, finding the days where you can score some actual IMC will be tough but it can be done.

Also, a lot of the airspace for GA traffic in Denver is very tight and crowded. I did my flight training in Denver, Southern California, and South FL. I was more nervous about mid-airs in Denver (flying out of BJC) than anywhere. The fact that there have been at least three fatal mid airs between Denver and Boulder in the past 10 years proves this.

True, the Boulder area is pretty sketchy. There are lots of little uncontrolled fields between Denver and Fort Collins with the Class B VFR corridor right over the top. Had a few close calls there.

Overall, I think it's a pretty versatile training environment with a lot of cool flying opportunities. Get and instructor who knows the ins and outs of mountain flying... you won't regret it. It's a beautiful state.
 
I agree that Colorado is a great place, and it's a lot of fun to do flight training here. One of my fondest memories is when a friend and I flew out of Leadville (KLXV) a few years ago... Absolutely gorgeous, and something I will always remember. But the issue is what to do when you're ready to start flight instructing. The Denver/Springs area is absolutely horrible for up and coming professional pilots, and it took me over five years to finally make it back here after I started flight instructing (I moved to FL when I was in instructor). Typically, schools like to hire those that have also done their training there. Even then, the instructors I had in Denver were always having a tough go of it.
 
Not biased or anything since I live in Denver, but flying around Denver and the Springs is not really "mountain flying." You have to go further west to get into the actual mountains.

CO is gorgeous, however, winter flying in light training aircraft can cause cancelations. However, it's far less crowded airspace than you'll find in most parts of CA, and the cost of living is much more manageable.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. You guys have really got me thinking. It's nice to know being worried about mountain flying was unnecessary as I'll being flying plains at first. That's what was worrying me. Only thing about California I am having doubts about is aircraft availability. Maybe I'll take an intro flight in San Diego and one in Colorado Springs. Take a tour of some places too and ask some questions. The low cost of living is kinda attractive in Colorado Springs.
 
If you want experience with extremely busy/congested airspace then SoCal is the place to be. I've talked with some of the guys from San Diego Christian College when we met up during nationals flight team competition. They said it's definitely crazy with how busy it is sometimes. Lots of great place to go for cross countries. Lots of chances to get actual. Also there are mountains in California too... Not as big as Colorado, and they're ways to go around/ between them. I'm not overly familiar with the area, but sometimes I wish I could have trained in California...
 
If you want experience with extremely busy/congested airspace then SoCal is the place to be. I've talked with some of the guys from San Diego Christian College when we met up during nationals flight team competition. They said it's definitely crazy with how busy it is sometimes. Lots of great place to go for cross countries. Lots of chances to get actual. Also there are mountains in California too... Not as big as Colorado, and they're ways to go around/ between them. I'm not overly familiar with the area, but sometimes I wish I could have trained in California...

I did more mountain flying in one week of training in SoCal (out of VNY) than I did in a year in Denver (BJC).
 
My biased opinion, Colorado. It's closest to the Midwest. A place where you can get it all minus the mountains and crazy airspace(unless you go all the way to O'hare, haha). Lots of actual and mountain flying is great and all, but IMO dealing with convective activity in drier places and staying out of icing is more challenging. It'll depend on your school's/FBO's policies however.

When it comes down to it, the only difference I see about flying in the flat lands versus mountains is what will most likely happen if you get it wrong... ;)

I will agree with the busy airspace part. That is certainly a plus for training in Socal.
 
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